Intercessory prayer is simply praying on behalf of others. And when this is teamed up with a prophetic gift it can be powerful.
Prophetic prayer occurs when we pray with insights (prophetic revelation) received from the Holy Spirit. We may receive these insights during prayer, or pray about the revelation that has already been received.
We can all pray prophetically. However, a prophetic intercessor is not only equipped with insight from the Spirit. The prophetic intercessor becomes the vessel through whom the Spirit Himself prays.
‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.’ (Rom 8:26-27)
The Ministry of the Prophetic Intercessor
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” (Ezek 22:30)
Anna is a Biblical example of a prophetic intercessor. She poured years into her God-given assignment of praying in the temple, leading up to Jesus the Messiah’s birth. (Luke 2:36-38)
It has often been said, that not all intercessors are prophets; but all prophets are called to intercede. And in the Bible, we see specific examples of those in a prophetic office. They took time to pray and intercede for those people and situations they ministered into.
The Ministry of the Seer
Within the overall realm of the prophet lies the particular and distinctive realm of the Seer. The word “seer” describes a particular type of prophet who receives a particular type of prophetic revelation or impartation.
The Old Testament uses two words primarily to refer to a seer: ra’ah and chozeh. Ra’ah literally means “to see,” particularly in the sense of seeing visions. Other meanings include to “gaze,” to “look upon,” and to “perceive.” Chozeh literally means “a beholder in vision” and can also be translated as “gazer” or “stargazer.”
With these definitions now in place, the distinction between a prophet (nabiy’) and a seer (ra’ah or chozeh) becomes a little clearer. When it comes to prophetic revelation, a prophet is primarily an inspired hearer and then speaker, while a seer is primarily visual. In other words, the prophet is the communicative dimension and the seer is the receptive dimension. Whereas nabiy emphasizes the active work of the prophet in speaking forth a message from God, ra’ah and chozeh focus on the experience or means by which the prophet “sees or perceives” that message.
The first lays emphasis on a prophet’s relationship with the people; the other, on their revelatory relationship with God.
The Power of the Seer Anointing
Everyone needs a vision to sustain them in life. Proverbs 29:18 states,“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.” This verse in the New International Version reads: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
Some other translations, such as the New Revised Standard Version, use the word “prophecy” instead of “vision” or “revelation.” The point is clear: without prophecy, without divine revelation or vision, people will cast off all restraint. They will run wild because they have no guidance – no vision. The Word of God – His law – provides vision and guidance for living, and those who follow it are blessed.
As Christians, we are called to be a people of vision. We must learn to set a goal or target in front of our eyes to gaze upon. It is only when we aim at something that we have any chance of hitting it! The apostle Paul set his sights on knowing Christ, which he acknowledged was a lifelong process: Philippians 3:13-15a “13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude.”
Like Paul, we need to be a people of vision. Let us set our sights on the Lord and aim at His goals. The seer will move your heart and stir up your hunger for intimacy with God, because “the seer’s goal is to reveal the man Christ Jesus!”
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WHAT IS A SEER.....By Bob Jones
What is a seer? A seer is everything. Prophets are the eyes, but seers are the entire head: eyes, smell, taste and feelings. That is what Isaiah 29:10 says:
He has shut your eyes, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, the seers.
A seer is everything. I like to use a hot loaf of bread to explain this gifting. With your eyes open, you can see it. But if your eyes are closed, I can tell you it is there, and you will be able to "see" it with your ears. I can put it under your nose, and you can smell it. I can put it in your mouth, and you can taste it. You can feel it in your hands. As a seer, you can move in all five realms, and because of that, you are more discerning. The enemy is never able to fully shut you down. The prophet can be momentarily blinded, but if the enemy blinds you, you will still be able to hear, smell, taste and feel. If the enemy comes against your feelings, you'll still be able to see, hear, smell and taste.. A seer prophecies by all five senses, and so the seers move in stronger discernment.
What does this look like? There may be times when you hear a prophecy, and a bad taste will come into your mouth. Your taste is discerning. "This isn't God". But other times when you hear a prophecy, you'll start tasting gold. Whenever I taste gold, I know, "Man that's it. I want to get all if this." God communicates with you through your senses. It takes longer to become a mature seer than to become a mature prophet, because all five senses are involved. You have to learn how to discern your feelings, because there will be times when feelings come to you in ministry and they're not your feelings. And if you take them personally, you won't be active.
The one thing the Church has been tought against is feelings. But that's where you, as a seer, are the most accurate. You can take on how other people are feeling and know exactly how to minister to them. You can move right into their "living room" (their minds) and see what the problem is. You can feel what the person is feeling: depression, self-rejection, joy, anger, happiness. You can feel where they're coming from and know exactly what to go for as you pray for them. So the seer is really strong in deliverance ministry.
The prophet can speak the future, but the seer can see what the people need to let go of in the past, tell them what the Lord is saying to them today, and declare what the Lord is offering them tomorrow. You can go right into their minds and see where the pain is coming from and what is still affecting and controlling their lives. Seers can help people forgive - usually themselves, help clean their minds out, and invite the Lord there.
Seers can knock on a person's front door, come in, and visit with that person without saying a word. A prophet can only prophecy as the faith arises. A lot of times, a prophet is just a person who really comes forth in faith, and that faith activates him so he can speak clearly. That is what Nathan the prophet was. He prophecies by the faith that rose in him. But a seer can have all five senses.
A seer can feel the strongholds of a town. If you enter a town and feel lust, lust owns that town. If you feel depression, it's a depressed place. As you come in there, you'll take on the feelings of that town, country, or person, whether they are good or bad. You'll know where there is self-rejection, because of what you feel. If you're ministering to somebody who has self-rejection, you'll feel it coming at yourself, and you must never take any of these things personally.
One of the strongest things to minister to is spirits of self-rejection. Suicidal spirits come through these spirits. A seer will feel these things. if you think they are coming from yourself, you will be totally unprofitable. So you need to have all these senses sanctified and be able to tell, This is not me. I am not in self-rejection. I love myself.
I can taste and see that He is good.You can also smell what's happening. You can discern what's wrong with a church or a city of even a nation, because you can smell it. You can smell sin, corruption, and holiness. That's what 2 cor. 2:14 says: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place." So you can smell the sweet incense of the Lord. You can smell His presence when He comes out of people, for the kingdom is inside of us. You can actually smell when a person really yields to God.
You can discern what's going on with people through their incense. You can do it with your taste: "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). You can do it through your feelings, through your sight, through the things you hear.
Seers are kicked out of a lot of churches, because you are the least understood of all the gifts. You are one who feels like you don't fit any place except with other seers. Because of your revelation and dreams and the way God communicates with you, people think you're loony. But when churches reject you, they're bidding good-bye to their own mercy. As a seer, you are there for mercy. You are there to help bring healing to the people and show them what God is doing.
It's time for the seer to come forth. The Church needs you. It is time for the seer to mature and be used.
Prophet Bob Jones
